cubicus

Forms

cubicus (feminine cubica, neuter cubicum); first/second-declension adjective^[1] Also spelled cybicus.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κυβικός (kubikós),^[2][1][4] from κύβος (kúbos, “vertebra; die, cube”).^[5] Within Latin it corresponds to cubus with the suffix -icus.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Vitruvius is the first to use it, in the preface to his fifth book, of “cubic” ratios.^[3][4][6][5]

Semantic evolution

It stayed a technical word of mathematics:^[4] Martianus Capella speaks of cubic solidity,^[3][4] and Chalcidius of a cubic figure and a cubic number.^[4] British Medieval Latin used it the same way, calling eight a cubic number.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius speaks of cubic ratios.^[3][4][5]
• 5th century AD – Martianus Capella uses it of cubic solidity.^[3][4][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (mathematics) Of cubes, cubic.^[2][3][4]
2. (of a number) Being a cube.^[4][7]

Related words

• English cubic

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press